Man heads for Nashik, found dead a month later in Goa

A 22-year-old youth from Mumbra who had gone job hunting in Nashik has been found dead in Goa under mysterious circumstances. The Goa police have said that prima-facie it looks like a case of suicide, but the family members of the deceased feel that something is amiss, as the youth had no reason to reach Goa.

Wajid Shaikh, a resident of Rashid Compound, Kausa in Mumbra, worked in a bottled water company at Koparkhairne, Navi Mumbai. On March 22, he left for Nashik to seek work or start his own business

Wajid Shaikh, a resident of Rashid Compound, Kausa in Mumbra, worked in a bottled water company at Koparkhairne, Navi Mumbai. On March 22, he left for Nashik with the intention to find work or start his own business. He had taken Rs 6,000 from his family for the trip. He stayed in touch with his relatives for two or three days over the phone. He told them that he had reached Nashik. After this, he stopped calling, and his mobile phone remained switched off. His body was discovered on April 21.

On April 23, Wajid’s father Ahmed Shaikh got a call from a police officer in Goa, informing him that his son’s body had been found floating in the sea. The stricken family members rushed to Goa, where they identified Wajid’s body in a hospital. The police also handed over his sunglasses, mobile phone, PAN card and Rs 200 that was found on his person. His bag was not found. “His body had decomposed. So we performed his last rites in Goa,” said the distraught father.

Initially, the Kolwa police in Goa claimed that the youth had committed suicide. A postmortem was conducted on Wednesday and doctors have sent some samples to a laboratory in Hyderabad for tests. “I cannot believe the Goa police’s version. Where is his bag? He had Rs 6,000. He was very happy with his life. How did he reach Goa from Nashik,” asked Ahmed. “We cannot comment at this stage. We are waiting for the post mortem report. Prima-facie it seems like a suicide. It could also be a case of drowning. The matter is under investigation,” said Nilesh Rane, inspector of Colva police station.